I seem to have hit a nerve, but, as usual, I don't understand why. I was responding to the ideas in bold, and the link applies to the assumption about locally grown corn, while my comment beyond the link applies to the concept of big ag vs. small farming. Take it as you will. Sorry Don, nothing to slug. Make sure you know the source of that popcorn.

Perhaps not. Assumptions that all small-scale, local farming is somehow "better" than large-scale operations may not be entirely accurate and/or fair. If you want to know where your food comes from, ask the person who grew it about the source of the seeds, and then follow up to find out if those came from Monsanto, Seminis, or another subsidiary.

Good luck with that. It's estimated that about 90% of food crops in the U.S. are GMOs.
Not true, and the biggest study thus far indicating problems has been rescinded. Part of it was bad science, part of it was a problem with the review process, and part of it was more than a bit of bias on the part of the major research scientist. That's a lot of parts to a perfect storm fueled by public fears, not unlike the anti-vacccine "debate." You can also link to a number of solid studies in the same article if you would like to read more.
If you want to be upset about GMOs, knock yourself out, but consider worrying about something we know is an issue, like environmental impacts. You won't be able to get around eating them.

NY Times, too. I think they would have gotten a different answer about inclusivity had they not spoken with a government employee - they tend to focus on like rather than difference. We had some discussion on it, and everyone I talked to went with goat, and, as it turns out, our research indicates that sheep were not in China when the zodiac system was invented. So sheep is æ–°æ€æƒ³ã€‚Kind of like ice cream mooncakes.ï¼šï¼‰

I think you're right - I would blanch. But fifty sheets? Wow. I think you are beyond what is easy in a home kitchen. Even pasta drying racks (yes, I'm a psycho gadget person and I have one) only hold maybe twenty sheets, tops. A quick and dirty trick is to put a broom handle between two chairs and hang the sheets, but you have to either have a dedicated dowel or do some cleaning. So if downsizing isn't an option, go buy dowels at Home Depot.

1. A pour count of three or four, maybe? 2. Zero flames. I poured the rum, screwed the cap back on the Barbancourt bottle, set it down on the counter, took a moment to think about the fact that my robe is microfiber and is, therefore, probably extremely flammable, and then realized everything had bubbled out and the sauce was ready. I'm not a morning person.

Interesting, because everything we've been given in my Mandarin class (populated by teachers from the Beijing Language and Culture University) has a goat on it, and they told us it's the year of the goat. I'll try to get details next week, as our class is on Thursday so we will be celebrating.

^ The thing with both coconut and almond flours is that they add extra fat to the mix, and some recipes just don't hold up with extra fat. (I'll spare everyone the gory details of how I know that.) You can either dial back the butter (or coconut oil) in your regular cake-y recipes which will be a trial and error process, or find a recipe already tweaked for these flours. European tortes, financiers, and other nut-based things are the only types I've found will convert with no clear difference in texture.

Broccoli, tofu, and water chestnuts in a Thai green curry, served over jasmine rice. Water chestnuts because Mr. lperry asked, "how come you never use water chestnuts?" Also, it reminds me of being a kid and helping Mom cook "Chinese" food. I felt so exotic with cans of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.

I was down south today and stopped by this Costco because it was convenient. After my usual trips to Pentagon City, it was like Costco in the Twilight Zone. I was there at noon on a Friday and the staff were friendly and helpful, the atmosphere was relaxed, I didn't have a near accident in the parking lot, there were only two people ahead of me in line, nobody was yelling or plowing people down with a cart, I parked about 60 meters from the door and didn't have to deal with a surly attendant or malfunctioning ticket machine... *sigh* It's not worth the horrific traffic for me to make this store a regular stop, but I will certainly drop in if I am close by.

^ You can't use American confectioner's sugar as a substitute because it contains corn starch. I have no idea why. I would just use regular sugar and beat the mixture another minute or two to dissolve the larger granules. I don't think there should be a problem at all, and it sounds like a lovely Valentine's dessert.

Like this. I omit the garlic, but the lemon and cheese are fantastic.
I saw this recipe on David Liebovitz' blog and have been waiting for an appropriate number of bits of cheese to make it. Was it as good as I think?

Penne with greens, olive oil, and red pepper flakes, topped with a little pecorino Romano cheese
Roasted acorn squash
The squash was from this summer's garden and had been frozen. I had read that you can roast frozen vegetables, and was surprised that the flavor was just as good as fresh. The texture was a little different, but not unpleasant.